Carney rejects U.S. claims of Canadian election interference

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected U.S. allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in the November midterm elections, saying the claims have no merit and expressing disappointment with U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul on October 23, Carney said Canadian diplomats were careful to avoid even the appearance of election interference. He said they had been instructed not to meet with or attend events involving candidates in the U.S. midterms, according to reporting on his comments. The dispute followed a fact sheet issued by the U.S. Embassy in Canada on Wednesday. It accused Canadian politicians of seeking to influence U.S. politics, citing Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s discussion of retaliatory tariffs targeting Republican states and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s U.S. advertisement criticizing tariffs. The embassy also referred to 11 Canadians charged with illegally voting in U.S. elections between 2012 and 2026, but did not link those cases to the Canadian government. Carney said he was disappointed that Hoekstra had made the suggestions. The embassy’s allegations have not been independently established in the reported...